Man gunned down in broad daylight in Tel Aviv mob hit
Taher Lalah, 27, shot dead in his BMW by masked assassins near crowded beachfront center — the latest in a string of underworld killings
A man was shot to death Saturday afternoon near the bustling Tel Aviv beachfront in what police believe was an underworld hit.
The suspects fled the scene immediately. The victim was later named as Taher Lalah, 27, of Jaffa, who was well-known to the police.
Masked gunmen opened fire on Lalah in his silver BMW near HaTachana, a popular tourist destination filled with cafes and shops.
He was killed instantly. Yehuda Dahan, the local police commander, said the killing was “a deliberate hit.”
The car apparently had other passengers inside, and they were unhurt.
A large contingent of police and security officers, as well as members of the victim’s family, arrived at the scene.
According to Israel Radio, initial police investigations determined that the murder was part of an ongoing conflict between criminal groups in Jaffa.
Saturday’s murder is the latest in a series of underworld assassinations on the streets of Israel.
A man was killed by in a car explosion in south Tel Aviv last weekend in what police believe was a vendetta between rival crime rings.
About a month ago, another man was shot point-blank on a busy Jaffa street by two motorcyclists in what was also believed to be related to organized crime activity.
There has been a spike in underworld assassination attempts in Israel in recent months.
Last week, police chief Yohanan Danino addressed the phenomenon, acknowledging that mob attacks in the midst of bustling cities were crippling to citizens’ sense of security, and saying he considered them to be a form of “terrorism.”
The Times of Israel Community.